As we reach the end of the school year, my time as Editor-in-Chief of The WALK Magazine sadly also comes to a close. While I’m still (somewhat) relevant, I wanted to share a few final thoughts I’ve had while reflecting on my time with The WALK.
I wouldn’t call myself a fashionable person. I don’t make bold or innovative sartorial choices the way many WALK staff members – or our previous Editor-in-Chief (shoutout to Isabella) – do. The extent of my “daring” styling ensembles is pairing Birks and socks. It sounds sacrilegious coming from “the Editor-in-Chief of The WALK Magazine”, but, to be honest, that was never what The WALK was about for me. I joined at the very beginning of my freshman year with a simple desire: to create. This has led to many memorable (some questionable) experiences – from having a 4 AM photoshoot to flooding a studio to carrying ladders and fish tanks and mannequin heads across campus. It sounds ridiculous – and it is, to a certain extent. But as I’m sure you’ve already heard, Penn has a knack for draining our desire to do ridiculous things, especially if there isn’t a “reason” for it. For the past three years, The WALK has been my safeguard against that. Every time I’ve proposed a crazy, seemingly impossible idea to my team, the immediate response has never been “why would we do that?” but rather, “how can we make that happen?” At the risk of sounding preachy, I hope The WALK has (and will) serve the same need for you.
I’m under no false pretenses – ultimately, The WALK is just a college fashion magazine. I don’t think we’re changing the world. I also don’t think there’s anything necessarily wrong with that. Ultimately, we’re just a group of people trying to make something together. I’m so proud of the things we’ve made and the people I’ve made it with.
With that, I’m excited to announce that Emily Cieslak will be taking over as Editor-in-Chief of The WALK Magazine starting next fall. I have complete confidence that she’ll do an incredible job, and I can’t wait to see the ways in which The WALK grows and changes under her leadership. It’s been an exhilarating, exhausting, maddening, and rewarding three years, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.
All my best,
Nadia Kim
Editor-in-Chief